'The Wolverine' slashes competitors to top weekend box office with $53.1M in North America

LOS ANGELES — "The Wolverine" clawed his way to the top of the weekend box office.

The Fox film starring Hugh Jackman as the clawed mutant superhero debuted in first place with $53.1 million in ticket sales at North American theaters.

Last week's top movie, the Warner Bros. horror "The Conjuring," dropped to second place with $22.2 million, followed by two animated pictures.

Universal's "Despicable Me 2" hung onto third place, adding $16.4 million to its domestic take, which is now at $306.8 million. Fox's animated snail-racing adventure "Turbo" was in fourth with $13.7 million.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com, are:

Minneapolis performing artist Patrick Scully brings the Mississippi River Boat Ballet to the festival. No art form requires more precision than ballet, so it's anyone's guess how Scully plans to keep nearly 50 boats; sailboats, kayaks, rowing shells, even a couple of bicycle-powered pontoons in balance, here are highlights from the rehearsal.